


You’ll Never Walk Alone

by The_White_Wolf



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27460690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_White_Wolf/pseuds/The_White_Wolf
Summary: Laurel is having a hard time, and it will take someone important from the future to set the timeline back on course. Set during the second season.
Relationships: Laurel Lance & Olivia Queen, Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen
Comments: 15
Kudos: 24





	You’ll Never Walk Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I've been asked a few times to write a sister-fic to Setting Things Right, a fic where Olivia helps her parents. 
> 
> The lyrics don’t belong to me, they are from: You'll Never Walk Alone lyrics - Rodgers & Hammerstein. A special thanks to Ray_Writes, from the Lauriver discord for recommending this song to me. I really appreciate the help!

It was getting close to that time of year again. Every time she walked past a storefront with a Christmas tree, or saw tinsel run across the windows, she felt the pang of loss and loneliness take hold of her heart. She hadn’t expected an invitation to the Queen’s annual Christmas party. Especially not after she had prosecuted Mrs. Queen. She wouldn’t be spending her Christmas with her Dad either, it would make things easier for both of them if she wasn’t there.

Perhaps it would have been better if she had been the one who died when the Gambit sank, or killed by Malcolm Merlyn’s device. It would have made everything easier for the people she loved. The people who kept leaving her. Her parents wouldn’t have had a divorce, her father wouldn’t have taken up the bottle to assuage his guilt and loss. Tommy would still be alive, he could have been running Merlyn Global Group, or given a high ranking position in Queen Consolidated.

Moira would dot on Tommy as if he were her own child. Perhaps that is partially why Oliver had abandoned her. Why did everyone leave her out in the cold? He didn’t just lose a friend, just as Moira didn’t lose a family friend. They lost a brother and a son.

Her heart clenched. “I’m so sorry, Tommy.” She whispered, watching as her breath turned into steam. A tear dripped down her cheek. Perhaps she should head inside, her hands stung from the cold, she had forgotten to grab her gloves as she left the office.

She wanted to numb the pain, if not for a little while. She could head to Verdant, which was certainly an option since Thea would be with her family. If the young woman wasn’t Oliver’s brother, wasn’t so young and close to her problems, perhaps she could talk to her. Before CNRI closed, she could have talked to Jo, but she was one of the many people who abandoned her.

She kept walking, ignoring the cold wind that would pierce through her coat. She deserved it. Every sharp blow the wind was giving her, nature's way of forcing her to atone. Only that wouldn’t make things right, would it? Tommy would still be dead.

Laurel swallowed heavily, adjusting her scarf, and turned to see a dark figure following her several yards back. Either it was one of her father’s people watching her, or it was Oliver or one of his new friends. As the harsh winds blew, she vaguely considered that it may not be either of those possibilities, it could be someone who wanted to put a bullet in her head or a knife in her chest. If there was a time to do it, it was now. She doubted the Hood would come to her rescue.

 _“Just another person who has turned their back on you.”_ A dark voice whispered in the back of her mind.

She decided to ignore the person, regardless of their intentions. Laurel kept walking for what felt like hours and eventually sought refuge in a small club. She looked up at the yellow-gold neon sign. _Amor Vincit Omnia_. If Laurel were in the mood she would have translated the Latin text, instead, she gripped the steel handle and shoved open the door, and took a seat in the back of the club, a petite table that would only sit two people.

Two people. She thought of Tommy, and then to the letter in the back of her drawer. The letter Oliver had left for her before he had left to go skiing. The same letter that she had poured her tears over.

Never doubt my love for you. Oliver had written all those months ago. It was hard to follow that request. She certainly doubted his love for her. He had left without asking if she would want to join him, to escape the city, and the guilt.

A waitress had come to her and asked if she would like a drink. Laurel without hesitating asked for a couple of cocktails. The woman gave her a strange look before she left to fill out the order. Laurel didn’t care about the waitress or her side glance. She had been on the back end of those glances from her so-called-loved-ones. Just another person to add to the list of people giving her unsolicited judgments.

The door opened, and a young woman wearing a black overcoat walked in rubbing her hands. It wasn’t long before she removed her coat, draping it over her arm. The lean blonde girl walked past several tables, ignoring the cat-calls, before heading to who Laurel could only guess was the manager.

The girl then moved up onto the small stage. It was at that moment Laurel noticed that the girl had a guitar case over her shoulder. The waitress returned and dropped the three different cocktails in front of Laurel. Laurel gave the woman a look of disdain, she wouldn’t be getting a tip.

The girl started to strum at her guitar before she sang into the microphone. Laurel’s eyes teared up as she heard the angelic voice of the young woman.

“ _When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high. And don't be afraid of the dark._ ” The singer had a melodious voice. Laurel couldn’t help but feel mesmerized, and another feeling she couldn’t name.

It felt as if the words were directed at her, as stupid as that sounded. It didn’t help that the blonde’s eyes did not scan the room. The singer’s eyes always seemed to focus on her every time she had taken a gulp of the sweet cocktails, and more so when she had ordered a large glass of wine.

“ _At the end of a storm. There's a golden sky. And the sweet silver song of a lark._ ” Laurel wiped the tears from her eyes. What was a talented musician doing wasting her time at a small bar hidden in the bowels of Starling? The same could be said of the Assistant District Attorney. But that wasn’t fair, unlike this girl, Laurel didn’t have anything left in her life.

Laurel so wished that the lyrics were true. If she kept trudging through the darkness and despair, that she didn’t give up, there would be a light at the end of the tunnel. But she had long since realized that fairy tales don’t exist.

“ _Walk on, walk on. With hope in your heart. And you'll never walk alone_ ” The girl never broke her line of sight off Laurel. It felt as if she should know this musician singing the beautiful song. Laurel hadn’t noticed that since she had started actually listening to the lyrics and her sweet voice, she hadn't drunk from her wine glass. “ _You'll never walk alone._ ” She strummed her guitar for another few seconds before the room erupted in applause. Laurel couldn’t help but join the audience in applause, despite her some-what sour mood.

It was a few minutes after the song had stopped, and another singer had started singing. Laurel gulped down a glass of wine, hoping that every gulp would just make the pain hurt less. Even if it was just for the night. Laurel was just done with feeling the guilt and isolation eating at her. She just wanted to feel nothing, feel oblivion.

The young blonde woman sat next to her. “I’ll have a lime-flavored mineral water, thanks.” The singer said to the waitress.

Laurel raised her brow at the young woman. She looked a lot like Thea when she was that age. “It’s a bar, you have a whole world of alcoholic beverages that you could drink, and you choose mineral water?

The girl wrinkled her nose. “Addiction runs in the _family_.” 

Laurel’s stomach twisted, she felt dizzy. Guilt took hold of her. Her father had an issue with addiction. Just because he had an issue, why did she feel like the innocuous words of a stranger feel like a barb? It seemed like no matter what this young woman did; sing, or speak, she seemed to weasel her way into her mind.

“My name is Liv.”

“Laurel.”

Liv took another sip of her water. “What’s the Assistant District Attorney doing in a club hidden away in the bowels of Starling City?”

Laurel’s hand moved towards her glass of wine, only for the younger woman with such grace and speed, she grabbed the glass and placed it on another table. “I hope you are planning on getting me a replacement.” Laurel hated how petulant she sounded to her own ears. She was pathetic.

“And if I’m not?” Liv asked with a quirk of her brow, as if challenging Laurel to do something about it.

“I can have you charged for theft.”

The young woman scoffed. “What do you think that the police will come all the way out to this club because I took away a lawyers’ glass of wine? I don’t think so, especially when the wine didn’t cost much, to begin with.”

Laurel scowled at the young woman. Though the look of sadness that Liv tried to hide reminded her so much of Oliver. “What do you want from me?” Laurel finally asked, sounding defeated. A year ago, she would have argued with the woman until she was blue in the face.

Liv’s green-blue eyes shimmered in the light. “I chose that song for a reason, M--Laurel. I. I don’t know you well.” Laurel couldn’t help but doubt the sincerity in her voice, nor the hesitation. “But my mother had a saying that she used to tell me and my brother when we failed, or couldn’t find our way to our feet. It isn’t about how you fell to the mat, it's about whether you get back up.”

“Sounds like your mother hasn’t endured what I have. No offense, but she hasn’t lost everything as I have.” Laurel said, wiping away her tears. God, she wished she had her glass of wine.

“You don’t want to make that bet,” Liv said with a determined look in her eyes, the same look her father would have when he was determined to do something. “My Mom has endured so much and had so many encounters with death.” The girl swallowed, and Laurel couldn’t help but reach out and take the younger woman’s hands in hers. “She almost died when she had me, she was stabbed in the chest.”

Laurel’s stomach twisted in guilt. “She’s alive?”

Liv nodded. “Both her and Dad are fine. My brother, Connor, he…. uh... We took over the family business.”

“As musicians?”

Liv shrugged and took another sip of her water. “Something like that.” Liv then stood up, put on her coat, and gripped her guitar case. “Let’s go outside. It’s getting a bit stuffy in here.”

“It’s cold out there.” Laurel protested.

“And what of all the countless people who have to live out in that cold?” The girl asked haughtily. “I’m sure that you can manage to be outdoors for an hour or two.” She held out her hand and took Laurel outside. They walked in silence, but Laurel couldn’t help but look at the young woman, she had an agenda, that was certain, and yet, stupidly she felt she could trust Liv with her life.

Eventually, they walked near the pier that stood over Orchid Bay. It was a beautiful sight to behold, the light shimmering over the water as the tide. Liv sat down gracefully on one of the steps, Laurel followed suit.

Liv was watching the stars sparkle in the night. How long had it been since Laurel had enjoyed the little things like this? “When I was a little girl… I couldn’t have been older than five or six, but I remember that I used to be so afraid of the dark. Yo--” She hesitated. The hesitation forced Laurel to look at the girl. It wasn’t the first time Liv had hesitated when she spoke. “My parents would take me outside onto the deck to watch the stars. I would be cradled between my Mom and Dad. He would kiss my head, while my Mom would tell me that the stars and the moon were little balls of light. Hope, in the darkness.”

“I’m a bit too old to believe in that.” Laurel sighed. “A close friend died saving my life. And my other friend has left me out in the cold.” Laurel revealed. “He said that he wouldn’t leave me, and never to doubt his love for me…” She shook her head. “I prosecuted his mother. If I had won, she would have been executed. Mrs. Queen would be dead. I can’t blame them for distancing themselves from me, but it doesn't make it hurt less.” She gave the younger woman a sad smile. “You might want to leave too before I become too attached.”

“I don’t plan on leaving for a while.” The girl gave Laurel a rebellious look. “I’m kind of _attached_ to you anyway.

“Then you will die, Liv. If you don’t leave, you die. That's how it works. People get hurt when they are in my orbit.”

She expected a look of horror, or pity to come from the gorgeous girl’s eyes. Instead, she only saw a look of melancholy and understanding. Liv rested her head against Laurel’s shoulder. It felt right and natural, despite not knowing each other for long. “Life is like a beautiful tapestry. Only we can’t see everything, it's like we see the back of this beautiful piece of art. We only get hints of the true beauty that's on the other side, but it’s there. You just have to have faith that there is a reason for everything.”

Laurel rested her head against Liv’s. It was a beautiful sentiment, that despite the hardships that they endured, the heartbreak, and the death there was more to life. That there was always a beacon of hope, even if you couldn’t see it. “Who told you that?”

“My mother,” Liv said dreamily. 

“I wish that I could see the light at the end of my tunnel so that I don’t have to walk alone. Endure this hell by myself.”

“I’m here.” The young woman said, giving Laurel’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “This.. guy. The one who told you to never doubt his love for you. Where is he?”

“Either with his family, or new friends.”

“He’s being stubborn. He’s in his head, and he needs a just woman to help him. The love of his life.”

“You don’t know, Oliver,” Laurel said. “He can be so pig-headed.”

“I do.”

Laurel shook her head. “He’s not the person he pretends to be on camera or the playboy who gallivanted around before his boat went down.”

“I know.”

Laurel froze, her head darting to the young woman, who hadn’t stopped from using her shoulder as a pillow. Laurel shirked her shoulder, and jumped up, feeling slightly light-headed. Laurel unzipped her bag and aimed her pistol at the woman.

Liv didn’t seem to be worried. She lazily stood up. Then all of a sudden, with so much grace, speed, and strength, the woman tore the gun from Laurel’s hand. Liv then uncocked the gun, removed the magazine, and removed the bullet from the chamber.

“Who are you?”

Liv handed the gun back but kept hold of the bullet and the magazine. She then looked around, so did Laurel to see that no one was around. Laurel felt a cold shiver down her spine. “I’m not here to hurt you. It’s the opposite really.” Liv swallowed hard. “My name, my real name is Olivia Dinah Lance-Queen. I’m your daughter from the future.”

Laurel blinked, and let out a hollow laugh. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

The girl reeled back, as if slapped. “I’m not a joke, Mom.” Olivia’s eyes watered, her voice taking on a sombre tone. “It sounds bizarre, otherworldly. I promise you, I know. But I was sent back by a man known as Doctor Fate, a friend of yours in the future. I don’t care if you believe me. Right now, all I care about is making sure that you, me, and my baby brother exist when I get back.”

To Laurel’s ears, Olivia-her daughter sounded sincere. And yet, she asked a question. “Prove that you are my daughter.”

Liv pulled out a golden disk with a blackbird engraved into it. The disk was attached to the necklace she wore. “Does this mean anything to you?”

“No. Should it?”

Liv bit her lip but didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled out a worn photograph. She and Oliver looked older, but content. And sitting in front of them were two young adults. Olivia and the young man must be their son. Connor. 

Laurel’s heart thumped into her chest. “It must be some kind of mistake. Oliver doesn’t love me. Not anymore.”

“Dad can be an idiot. And he thinks that he can take on the world by himself.” She shook her head as if remembering something. “Dad used to say that both sides of the family were stubborn and that it took you, someone, who rivaled him in determination to give him perspective.”

Laurel closed her eyes, trying to ignore the warm feeling bubbling in her stomach. It wouldn’t last long, and the bitter taste of loneliness and regret was not worth the minute feeling of being loved.

“Alright.” Laurel finally said, sitting back next to the fiery blonde. “Why come to me now? Why not later?”

“Apparently I was always destined to come here, to help pick you back up. It’s fate, Mom. It even knows that you shouldn’t walk alone.” Her daughter shivered. Laurel bit her cheek for a second before she shrugged off her coat and put it over Olivia before taking her guitar case. “Come on. You can stay at my place.”

::-:-:-::-:-:-::

Laurel woke up groggily to hear the pleasant sound of an acoustic guitar being strummed. Laurel blinked, she didn’t have a headache. It took a good few seconds before she remembered meeting her daughter from the future. The sounding of the guitar proved that it wasn’t a dream.

Her stomach growled as she forced herself up and left her bedroom to see Olivia. The daughter that she and Oliver would create. Laurel bit her lip as she stood in the doorway watching her daughter pluck and play the guitar. It wasn’t until Liv had finished whatever song she was playing, and looked up, and gave her a smile that made Laurel’s heart clench.

It was his smile. 

“I know that you must be hungry.” Laurel felt like a terrible mother. She didn’t even have a stocked fridge or pantry for her own daughter. Laurel knew that feeling guilty over that was stupid, there was no way she should of or would have expected her daughter from the future to turn up, and talk sense into her. And yet she still felt that guilt worm its way through her. “I don’t have much in the way of food…”

Her daughter shrugged as if she already knew. As if it was something that she had expected. “ I thought that was the case. Dad was the one who usually cooked.” Olivia placed her guitar back down in its case, moved over to the kitchenette, and opened the fridge. “I woke up earlier and cleaned your fridge. I tossed out the old Chinese containers. Then I went to the local grocer and bought some mushrooms, and some goats cheese. I thought we could have an omelet for breakfast.”

Laurel stood still in shock. Liv, seemingly without a word or waiting for permission, started sauteing the mushrooms in a frying pan. Laurel’s stomach growled, she then moved over to the coffee maker and poured two cups of coffee. “I suppose that your Dad taught you how to make omelets?”

Liv shifted the pan in a swift movement, sending the mushrooms around the hot pan before she poured the whisked eggs into the pan. “I think Dad and Grandpa taught you how to make an omelet, it’s basically an extension of scrambled eggs. You then showed me how to make it when I got older.”

Her daughter then giggled as if remembering something from her childhood. “Dad used to say that we should get some chickens to save on money because we would go through so many eggs.”

Laurel shook her head, and couldn’t help but smile. Her daughter had an energy about her that seemed to wash the darkness from her mind. Liv brought the two plates to the living room. Laurel immediately started to dive into the food.

She enjoyed the taste of the mushrooms and goats cheese that filled the omelet. It melted in her mouth. “And your brother, Connor, was it? Why didn’t he join you?”

Liv politely covered her mouth with her hand as she spoke with a mouth full of food. “He needed to work. He wanted to come, but only one of us could go back.”

“Can he cook like you and your father?”

Liv snorted. “If by cook you mean burn water, then sure.” Laurel smiled wistfully. Apparently, her son took after her in that regard.

“So what professions are you in?”

“Connie’s an attorney. He works out of a cramped office in The Glades. Officially he is on the books as a freelance lawyer for Queen Consolidated. In reality, he does pro bono legal work. Walter is the one that actually runs the business.”

Laurel, as if running on instinct, brushed Liv’s golden hair to the side, so that she could see her beautiful face. “And what about you, sweetie?”

“I was asked to join QC, but that’s not me. I can’t sit in a chair for hours on end, I have to be able to move around. Officially, I get paid by QC. I’m a silent partner like Connie, but I sing. Our cousin is the man in the big chair.”

“You do have a beautiful voice, Liv. As beautiful as a…”

“Songbird.” They both spoke simultaneously, causing both mother and daughter to laugh.

“I suppose I say that a lot, huh?” Laurel asked, bumping her shoulder playfully against her daughter.

“A few times.” She said with a wry smirk on her lips. She looked a lot like Thea, or Sara when they were younger, and prepared for mischief.

Laurel took a second to look around, and notice that her bottles of wine and whiskey were now gone from the counter. A small part of her wanted to wring her daughter’s neck. That part of her raised a red flag. Maybe she needed to seek help? 

Another part of he didn’t mind that her daughter had removed the visual temptation of the bottles. She didn’t have the urge or desire to drink.

Liv stood up and took the plates to the kitchen before moving her guitar to the side. “Want to spar, Mom? I need to move around and burn energy.”

Laurel hesitated as she stood up. Liv didn’t seem to notice and pushed the couches against the wall. “You fight?” Laurel wasn’t sure if she liked that. Though, her father had always pressed the importance of her knowing how to protect herself, and her sister. Maybe Laurel was just following in her Dad’s footsteps?

Liv moved her head side to side, causing small popping sounds in her neck. “We learned the basics from you and Dad.” Liv raised her fists close to her head, like a boxer. “I learned how to master other martial arts as I got older. You could say that we inherited the family genes to fight. It is hard-coded in our DNA.”

Laurel reluctantly raised her hands and dodged a few hits from her daughter. Laurel sent a few high jabs before kicking low. Liv masterfully dodged every attack, before she grabbed Laurel, and flipped her over her shoulder, causing a loud grunt from Laurel’s mouth.

The door opened with a loud thud, and Laurel watched in horror as Oliver moved in on Liv. He struck her with a brutal hit with his elbow. the hit sent Liv reeling backwards. Their daughter jumped to her feet and grinned. Her nose and teeth were smeared with blood.

Liv blocked Ollie’s next hit before Oliver pinned her against the wall. “What are you doing with Laurel?”

SCREEEEEEEE

Laurel’s eyes widened as Oliver was sent hurtling back and landed against the sofa. Oliver blinked slowly before he returned to his feet. She couldn’t let them hurt each other. “Liv, Ollie, stop!”

“You know her?” Oliver asked, looking between her and Liv. He looked confused, tired, and a little guilty for jumping to conclusions. It did make her stomach flip seeing Oliver come to her aid, even if it was necessary. It showed her that he still cared for her. 

“I don’t understand?” Oliver managed to speak while keeping his eyes firmly on their daughter.

Laurel moved over to her handbag and handed her daughter some money. “Liv, can you go buy us some pizza? I'll talk to him.”

Liv bowed her head. “I’m sorry about the cry… I didn’t realize it was you.” She muttered looking at her father, before taking the money and rushing out the door.

“Laurel?” Oliver asked her name as a question. His hand instinctively meets her red swelling shoulder. “She hurt you?” 

“I’m alright.” She gave him a small smile. She sat down and gestured for him to sit next to her. “She’s our daughter from the future, Ollie. She then pulled out a picture of the two of them and their children.

Oliver didn’t say anything, but his eyes watered. His finger gently gliding over their daughters, and son’s faces. “ They are beautiful, just like their mother.” He whispered and cradled her head in his hands as if she were the most precious thing in his life.

“You aren’t surprised that she is from the future, or that we have a family?”

Oliver shook his head but remained attached to her as if he had no intention of letting her go. “I saw a lot of things in my five years in hell, Laurel. I’m not surprised that time travel exists. magic does.” He lifted his shirt, revealing one of his tattoos. “A warlock gave me this tattoo.”

“What about the fact that we have a family? That we are a family?” She asked in a small voice, afraid of the answer.

He kissed her forehead. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Pretty Bird. I’m so sorry that I have given you so many reasons to question my love for you.” He swallowed. “Tonight, we will talk, really talk. I’ll be an open book. Everything is on the table. It’s the least you deserve after everything. I just hope that after you have learned what I have done, and what I am, you will still love me.”

Laurel buried her head in his chest. “I don’t think there is anything in this world that would stop that from happening.”

Oliver gave her another kiss. “I hope that’s true.” He whispered more to himself than to her. They remained on the couch, closing their eyes, enjoying their closeness. When she looked up, she noticed that there was now a mushroom and olive pizza on the table.

Laurel looked over to see her daughter looking at something on her wrist, and smiled. “Liv?” Laurel said her daughter’s name, calling her over to join them. Oliver wrapped his other arm around his daughter and kissed her forehead affectionately.

“I’m sorry about the cry, Daddy.”

“It’s already forgotten.” He murmured

“You too have to be honest with each other, and not let others get in the way of your partnership, including your own insecurities. You two are the strongest and most determined people I know. You are heroes. My heroes.” She added.

Liv extracted herself, kissing her father’s cheek, before moving to Laurel. She handed Laurel two cards. “One will help you with your problems, the other will help you both physically and give you an outlet.” Laurel peaked at the cards to see one was about Wildcat’s Gym, the other was AA. If it was anyone else that gave her the latter, she would have chewed them out. Her daughter was different. Olivia kissed her parents again before moving towards her guitar.

A bright white-golden light appeared that looked like an ancient Egyptian symbol. “I love you both, Mom and Dad. Never doubt the love you two have. You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Then in a blink of an eye, Liv disappeared into the light, and she was gone.

She wrapped herself back into Oliver’s arms. “Is it wrong that I miss her already, Ollie?”

“We will see her again, I know it, Pretty Bird.”


End file.
